The feud between Jones and Sonnen has been escalating since Jones declined a fight against Sonnen in August 2012, forcing UFC 151 to be cancelled. More recently, the two fighters coached opposing teams on The Ultimate Fighter. At UFC 159, Jones is looking to tie Tito Ortiz for most successful light heavyweight title defenses with five, while Sonnen returns to the weight class for the first time in nearly eight years after coming off a loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

The preliminary fights on Sportsnet will contain no shortage of drama, with the third female bantamweight bout in the UFC taking place when Sara McMann – Olympic silver medallist in wrestling – takes on Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff.

In addition to the prelims, Sportsnet’s coverage of UFC 159 includes:

Official Weigh-ins: streamed live on sportsnet.ca, today at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Early Preliminary Fights: streamed live on sportsnet.ca, Saturday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Post-Fight Press Conference: streamed live on sportsnet.ca following the main event

UFC Central: “Showdown” Joe Ferraro hosts the show from Newark, featuring an in-depth recap of the entire fight card, Tuesday, April 30 at 1 a.m. ET on Sportsnet East and Ontario

“I cannot wait for the prelims on Sportsnet. The mainstream MMA fan will finally get to see Olympic wrestling silver medallist Sara McMann make her octagon debut. Her first step towards a fight with Ronday Rousey is going to be a tough one as she takes on ‘The German Tank’, Sheila Gaff.”

Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level. The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and the Hockey Central app on iPad and Playbook. Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in NHL and MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series. Sportsnet is an official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, the Memorial Cup, and soccer programming with UEFA Champions League, Barclays Premier League, MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Canadian national team matches for men and women. Connected is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.

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